In the eyes of the world, Uchiha Madara had long since perished at the hands of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
After all, their battle was nothing short of earth-shattering. It was legendary—known by all, forgotten by none.
That clash was so fierce it reshaped the land itself, giving rise to the Valley of the End, a place etched into history. Even now, statues of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara stand facing one another there in eternal confrontation.
But Aoshi knew the truth—that battle had merely been a piece in Madara's elaborate scheme. Not only did he obtain Hashirama's cells during the fight, but he also faked his death and disappeared, setting the stage for his secret Eye of the Moon Plan(Project Tsuki No Me).
The Rinnegan implanted in Nagato was the direct result of that scheme.
He had underestimated Madara! Aoshi couldn't help but feel regret. He had thought their presence wouldn't draw Madara's attention.
Who could have expected Madara to break the script entirely? Wasn't his intended target supposed to be Uchiha Obito?
There was no concrete evidence, but Aoshi was certain—the Rain ninja's abnormal behavior had Madara's shadow behind it.
After all, this was a man who could manipulate even the Mist Village. What was a minor village like Amegakure compared to that?
As for the so-called "Demi-God" Hanzo of the Salamander, in Madara's eyes, he was no different from any ordinary man. To Madara, all shinobi—save for Senju Hashirama—were beneath him.
But now, regret was meaningless.
If Madara truly was orchestrating this from behind the scenes, then the mission given to these Rain ninja was likely one of absolute elimination: kill Aoshi and the others at all costs.
The real objective was clear—to force Mikoto to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. After all, if Madara had his eyes on anyone, it would be Mikoto, a pure-blooded Uchiha.
Realizing this, Aoshi defended against a wave of attacks while speaking to Mikoto.
"Mikoto, these Rain ninja clearly intend to kill us. If we keep holding back, Tomoki and Ayame will be in danger."
Among their five-person squad, Tomoki and Ayame were true Genin. In this situation, they were glaring weak points for the enemy to exploit.
Mikoto was silent for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "If Amegakure insists on provoking a conflict, then we don't need to hold back anymore."
Although Konoha always pursued peace, that didn't mean they would tolerate aggression.
With Mikoto's approval as team leader, Aoshi stopped restraining himself. With his current strength, even a Jonin from Amegakure was no match for him—let alone a bunch of Chūnin and Genin.
In just a blink, every Rain ninja attacking Aoshi was defeated.
At the same time, the Jonin who had been holding back Mikoto fell under a genjutsu.
Though they were both Jonin, the title varied in strength depending on the village. A Jonin from a small village like Amegakure was, at best, equivalent to a Special Jonin in a major village.
Such an opponent was no match for Mikoto. One glance from her Sharingan, and the battle was over.
However, Mikoto didn't kill him. She planned to interrogate him after they dealt with the remaining Rain ninja.
Glancing at Minato, who was close to finishing his opponents, Aoshi and Mikoto quickly rushed to support Tomoki and Ayame.
No need for detailed narration—within a few breaths, all the Rain ninja except the lead Jonin were dead.
"You two okay?" Aoshi asked with concern.
"We're fine," both Tomoki and Ayame responded, shaking their heads.
Thanks to their recent training, their strength had improved. Against ordinary Genin from the Rain Village, they managed to hold their own without injury.
Meanwhile, Mikoto began interrogating the captured Jonin. With her Sharingan, she had an innate advantage in extracting information.
Very soon, Mikoto got what she needed.
"They received a kill-at-all-costs order from someone named Kinosuke."
"Kinosuke?" Aoshi frowned. He was sure he had never heard that name before. In truth, the only person he knew in Amegakure was Hanzo of the Salamander.
"He's one of the radicals among Amegakure's upper ranks," Mikoto explained briefly.
From that, Aoshi understood—Kinosuke was just a pawn, a scapegoat for Madara's machinations.
"Should we kill this guy?" Aoshi asked, referring to the Jonin still under Mikoto's genjutsu.
"No. We keep him alive as evidence for negotiations with Amegakure."
A conflict like this would surely lead to diplomatic talks. Konoha needed solid proof if it wanted to take the moral high ground.
However, just as Mikoto finished speaking, a kunai came whistling through the air, instantly ending the Jonin's life.
"Who's there?" Mikoto barked.
Everyone was on full alert—but no enemy could be found. If not for the kunai lodged in the dead Jonin's neck, they might have thought it was all an illusion.
But that only made things worse.
None of them were sensory-type ninja, but with five pairs of eyes on watch, how could no one notice a thing?
If the attacker's target had been one of them rather than the prisoner, they would all be dead right now. This had to be the work of White Zetsu—a clean kill meant to silence witnesses.
The moment Aoshi realized they couldn't trace the attacker, he immediately thought of White Zetsu.
No one else in the ninja world could move so flawlessly in plain sight and remain completely undetected.
White Zetsu's involvement only confirmed Aoshi's suspicion: Madara was behind the Rain Ninja ambush.
Though he didn't know why Madara had changed targets, one thing was clear—this place was no longer safe.
"We have to leave. Now," Aoshi said urgently.
Mikoto agreed without hesitation.
But escaping Madara's web of schemes wouldn't be that easy. They had already been surrounded. Dozens of Rain ninjas appeared on the nearby slopes, blocking every exit.
Leading them was none other than the head of Amegakure—Hanzo of the Salamander, the man known as the Demi-God.
In an era where no true gods walked the world, he stood at the very peak of ninja might. His status was no lower than that of the Five Kage.
With such a powerhouse appearing before them, the weakest of the group, Tomoki and Ayame, were frozen in terror.
Even the ever-confident Minato looked grim and uneasy.
Only Aoshi and Mikoto managed to remain calm. Tightly gripping his blade, Aoshi stared up at the high ground where Hanzo stood—his eyes fearless.
If he truly unleashed his full power, even the famed Demi-God would not be his equal.
But what gave him pause wasn't Hanzo—it was the knowledge that Black Zetsu and Madara would surely be watching.
At that moment, Mikoto, as team leader, stepped forward and spoke up. "Lord Hanzo, is your attack on us an attempt to reignite war with Konoha?"